Online Learning Communities

Facilitators and learners are co-participants within an online learning community. However, facilitators set the stage, the pace, and expectations. They are the ones who model the creation of a community within the learning environment (Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (n.d.).

Short, Williams, and Christie (1976) as stated by Beldarrain, Y. (2006) refer to social presence as "the degree to which individuals perceive their role in a relationship". Online learning communities are shaped depending on the level of presence of the students as well as facilitators within that community. Beldarrain, Y. (2006) also adds that the "quality and quantity of interaction" is shaped by that social presence of the online students.

Online learning communities within online courses are given great importance because it has been one of the factors for having a successful online learning experience. Research has shown the correlation between belonging to an effective online community and learning (Young, S. & Bruce, M. A. (2011), Swan, K. (2003).

Encouraging and providing opportunities for an increased social presence is crucial to build that sense of community in an online learning environment (Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (n.d.). According to Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010) and Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (n.d.), some ways through which a learning community can be created are to:

• Providing clear expectations
• Sharing how often to expect facilitators participation in discussion forums
• Establish a discussion forum with prompts which encourage discussions
• Provide a lounge-like space for informal conversations among peers and facilitator
• Create smaller groups within the class with specific projects

To become an effective online instructor myself, I would also consider the suggestions of Swan, K. (2003) in relation to personalization of instruction:

• Gathering information from each student as a pre-course assessment of previous knowledge.
• Provide constant feedback.
• Make available a few choices through which students could use their background knowledge or future goals to achieve learning objectives.

Resources
Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance Education Trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27(2), 139-153.

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (n.d.) Online Learning Communities.

Young, S. & Bruce, M. A. (2011). Classroom Community and Student Engagement in Online Courses. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, vol. 7, (2).

Swan, K. (2003). Learning effectiveness: what the research tells us. In J. Bourne & J. C. Moore (Eds) Elements of Quality Online Education, Practice and Direction. Needham, MA: Sloan Center for Online Education, 13-45.